This archive report was first published on 12 December 2019.
At the ongoing COP25 talks in Madrid, Spain, experts have emphasized the need for the private sector to take the lead in championing climate adaptation and building the resilience of rural smallholder farmers.
Following extreme weather events that have caused massive disruptions to smallholder farmers, the experts urged the private sector to provide financial and technological support to help farmers adapt to the changing climate.
Luc Gnacadja, a former minister for environment in Benin and the president of the governance and policies for sustainable development think-tank (GPS-Dev), explained that climate adaptation includes new solutions that make investments stand extreme weather events.
By pushing the public sector to invest in climate adaptation strategies such as proper road networks and bridges, the private sector ensures that not only are their investments safe, but their farmers as well.
“The private sector is keen on introducing new technologies such as mobile apps for farmers, among other technologies, but they should first be asking themselves whether the investments will survive into the future,” said Gnacadja, adding that there is a need to scale up private sector investment through adaptation and mitigation.
Published on December 12, 2019
